Whether you enjoy trying different delicacies around the world or just like to be curious and know what people eat in different regions, discover the strangest things eaten in Vietnam. If you want to visit these regions and try these dishes for yourself, you can always choose from our various travel options to visit the entire area.
This post is for the bravest. While in the previous post we presented the 10 essential street food dishes for your trip to Vietnam, today we bring you a selection of the 10 strangest ones.
You will need to think twice before diving into these delicacies.
List of the 10 strangest dishes in Vietnam
1 – TRỨNG VỊT LỘN
This is particularly striking for Westerners. It is a boiled egg with a nearly developed duck fetus inside. It is usually eaten with thin slices of ginger and mint. A delicacy recommended for breakfast or a snack due to its high vitamin content. For this reason, it is considered perfect for children’s growth.
2 – THỊT CHÓ
Yes, dog is eaten in Vietnam. Although mindsets are changing, many people still consume dog meat.
It is usually accompanied by shrimp paste, rice noodles, and various vegetables.
We do not recommend eating this type of meat as there is much controversy surrounding the treatment of these animals. Furthermore, since they are not raised for this purpose, dogs are often stolen or raised without any sanitary controls, making them a significant source of disease.
3 – CHẢ RƯƠI
Sea worms are a special dish. In Vietnam, it is believed that this animal can help improve arthritis, body aches, or the flu. At the beginning of the 20th century, it could only be consumed in early autumn, the designated season for sea worms. Today, there are breeding farms, and it can be consumed year-round.
To preserve all its properties, the worm is mixed with lime leaves, egg, and minced pork before being fried into patties. It can also be served with rice.
4 – THỊT RẮN
Although eating snake is considered taboo in some countries, this is not the case in Vietnam. In fact, snake meat is a very common dish.
Vietnamese people believe that snake blood is a natural Viagra for men. It is thought to immediately arouse sexual appetite. For this reason, its consumption has spread throughout the country, and snake farms with specialized restaurants can even be found.
The snake’s heart and blood are served fresh mixed with rice wine, while its meat is cooked in various ways.
5 – THỊT ẾCH
Frog is not that strange to us. Frog legs are also considered a delicacy in our country. The difference is that in Vietnam, the whole frog is eaten, except for the head.
Additionally, the skin is fried and served as a crispy and delicious snack. The rest of the body is cooked in various ways, although the most common is stir-frying it with bamboo and serving it with vegetables.
Frogs are believed to be very nutritious. Therefore, they are often dried and shredded to make them easier for children to eat.
6 – CON NHỘNG
After a not-so-long life producing silk, in Vietnam, the best way to end a silkworm’s life is to fry it and eat it as a snack. Not a very dignified end for the little worker…
It is such a typical food that it is said every Vietnamese person has eaten silkworms at least once in their life.
7 – THỊT BABA
Turtle is considered another special food. In this case, it is recommended for improving the health of the sick, soothing pain, and strengthening the immune system.
As with the snake, in many restaurants, the turtle is killed right at the table, and the blood is extracted to be mixed with rice wine to toast… to the poor animal’s health.
8 – TIẾT CANH
Basically, it is a raw blood pudding from chicken, duck, goat, or pig, mixed with a little salt and served with pieces of meat, spices, lemon juice, and peanuts.
A “delicacy” that I have personally tried and do not recommend. Being raw, uncooked blood, it is a major source of infection.
Its consumption is strongly discouraged.
9 – THỊT CHUỘT ĐỒNG
After the rice harvest comes the second harvest. Field rat is a typical dish in southern Vietnam. To clean the animal thoroughly, it is lightly singed to remove hair and any parasites. It is then gutted and split open to be grilled, finally served with vegetables, ginger, and lemon juice.
10 – CON ĐUÔNG DỪA
The best is saved for last. The ultimate “delicacy” is the beetle larva typical of the Mekong Delta. These huge, whitish larvae grow inside the trunks of coconut trees in the Ben Tre area. Simply the live larva is mixed with fish sauce and eaten directly.
For those brave enough to try it, it is important to bite the head first; otherwise, the larva itself might bite your tongue, which is quite painful.
As a supplement to this final gastronomic gem, we leave you with a video showing the correct way to enjoy this dish.
Video of Vietnamese people eating live beetle larvae
Definitely a menu for the bravest. Don’t worry, One More Destination will never serve these dishes on your holiday menu.
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